Journal #1

Everything the Power of the World does is done in a Circle
Black Elk
Personal Response

This poem seems to be written in free verse. There is no rhyming but the words just flow as they go along. This poem is being said by a Native American who observes the world around him. He sees the world and especially nature, to be round in a circle. The connection between man and nature is emphasized, as it states how a birds’ religion is the same as a human being. Then he goes on to say how the moon is round and so is the cycle of life. Humans go from childhood to childhood, as when elderly people get to a certain age, they are as children in need of care. The author is trying to convey that life has its good parts and then there are the bad parts; the outcome is that we will survive and be here to live. Life is a circle as is nature. Even today, society functions in the same way. We all have our good days and our bad days and in the end we are still here living. This reminds me of a children’s book, tiled Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad day of a young boy who wants to move Australia so that he can stop having such a bad day. His mother reminds him that even in Australia, people can still have a bad day. Even children reading this book today are reminded of the good and bad things in life but we can survive them because that is how the power of the world is. This can include wars, natural disasters, or even as simply getting a bad grade. It is all a cycle that in the end, we come out on top and we continue to live each day.